Chapter 12: Memories are revealed.
Apus arose. She flapped her wings continuously, making the guild hall look smaller and smaller as they gained more and more altitude.
"Oh my goodness!" Ichigo called. "Isn't this fun?"
"Shut up, Ichigo!" Nova looked behind her at the always excited new team member.
"Weeeeeee!" the light mage ignored Nova's comment.
"Ichigo, if you don't shut up, I swear I'll knock you off!" Chrys yelled frustratedly.
"N'awww! Relax! I was just having a little bit of fun.. Er, what was your name again?"
"CHRYS!" the celestial mage screamed in exasperation.
"Hey, Fu-chan, is she always this grumpy?"
"Yeah. Pretty much." the dragon slayer whispered back, "Wait, what's up with that nickname?!"
"You do know, I can hear you!" Chrysanthemum called behind her.
"Hey, Nova, when's it my turn to sit behind Fu-chan?" Ichigo asked the person infront of her.
"Never! I'm only behind Fudo because I'm scared of heights!"
"Fu-chan, I'm scared of heights too!" the light mage cried, winking flirtatiously at the dragon slayer who was two people infront of him. He once again recieved a disgusted look in return.
"Deal with it!" Nova yelled, almost falling to one side. "Kyaa!" She screamed, once again clinging onto Fudo's back, making Ichigo purse his lips in jelousy.
"Can you all be quiet? You're giving me a headache! Why I agreed to this I don't know!" Chrysanthemum shouted back at the three arguing mages.
"You're not helping by shouting even more, flat chest!" Nova commented.
"Uh, oh. You just got burned!" Ichigo thought it nessicary to add.
"Shut the hell up!" His three commrades screeched in unison. This pointless agrument continued until nightfall when Apus was glad to land in a nearby clearing so the four 'friends' could camp for the night.
"Apus, go back to the spirit world." Chrys called while in the middle of yawning. A gate opened and the bird of paradise flew into it, cooing softly in the process.
"Did everyone bring a magic bag so you could fit a sleeping bag and a change of clothes in it?" Fudo questioned, hoping the answer would be positive.
"Yeah." Chrys replied.
"Yes." Nova joined.
"Ah-ha!" Ichigo sang.
"Great... So that's everyone. Let's hit the hay."
"Fu-chan, can I sleep next to you? I'm afraid of the dark..." The light mage protested, edging closer and closer to the disturbed dragon slayer.
"Get away from me you creep!" Fudo shouted back at him, standing up in his sleeping bag and hopping away from Ichigo, who was getting closer and closer behind him. Soon enough, Nova and Chrys were the only two people lying down while Fudo and Ichigo circled them playing sleeping bag chase.
"I've had it. Requip, Twin pistols!" Nova chanted, aquiring two loaded guns and joining the chase. She stood up in her sleeping bag and hopped along behind Ichigo, firing a bullet or two. Chrys lay there for about ten minutes questioning her sanity - and her sleeping pattern - until Nova shot the bottom of Ichigo's sleeping bag causing him to fall over.
"Ahhhhh!" he cried keeling over and crashing to the ground.
"Now that you're lying down, we might be able to get some sleep." Nova sighed triumphantly.
"I think I'll lie down over here..." Fudo crawled as far away as possible from his fallen predator.
"Oh, don't be shy, Fu-fu! I'll come sleep next to you tommorow!" The light mage winked, sending a chill up the dragon slayer's spine. Soon enough, he fell asleep, leaving Nova, Chrys and Fudo awake. The three of them lay in a line.
"Thank god he's asleep... It's the only time he doesn't seem to make any noi-" The gun requip mage was interrupted by loud snoring. "I can't take this any more!" Tears accumulating in her eyes.
"It'll be fine. We need him for our mission. Once it's over, we'll never see him again." Fudo hesitantly re-assured.
"I hope you're right. Night guys."
"Night, Nova." The two team members replied. Faint breathing could soon be heard from Nova, indicating her state of slumber.
"Well, I guess we'd better sleep too." Fudo told Chrys.
"Wait... There'e one thing I need to ask you about first."
"Hmm?"
"Rumor has it that dragon slayers were raised by actual dragons... It that true?"
"Well... Yeah... The dragons all dissapeared in the year 777 though... No one has seen one since... with the exeption of Acnologia."
"What happened after your dragon disapeard?"
"Her name was Starsha. She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. My real parents apparently got killed, but I guess I'm not too bothered about that since I never knew them. Sometimes I wonder what they were like... I wonder what would've happened if they didn't get killed. But fate lead me to her. I was young when I met her, so I didn't really understand what was going on. I was scared, lonely and lost. But she had the kindness to bring me in and take me under her wing... Literally. She educated me and taught me dragon slayer magic. I used to wake up every morning in her talons... But one day... I woke up to nothing. I searched and searched far and wide until I found the Trimens of Blue Pegasus out playing one day. I was close to starvation so I walked up to them. They were a bit older than me so I thought they could help. And they did. They took me to Master Bob were I was fed and looked after. Ever since then I've lived in the guild, promising that one day I would find my dragon again and return her kindness." If it wasn't so dark, Chrys would've seen the tears trickle down the mighty dragon slayer's cheecks.
"Oh... The good thing is you're alright now." Chrys tried to add a happy note and failed. "Hey, if it helps, I'll tell you about my life... My life was pretty much normal, I suppose. My sister, Karen was a member of the Blue Pegusas guild and I always looked up to her. She gave me my first key... I was young at the time so I didn't really understand what it did, but I've always held it dear to me. She lived at the guild so I didn't really get to see her much. She visited home every month or so for a day then she would leave again. Then one day... My mum recived news of her death... I heard her weeping every night before sleeping. I felt like I wasn't enough to make her happy. I stopped communicating with people and soon had next to no friends. I waited for the day I could take her place at the guild, but I guess that didn't really go as planned." she managed to maintain what looked like a smile before her and Fudo fell asleep.
"Hey, Chrys! I'm so glad to be seeing you again! I missed you so much!" Karen called open armed.
"Karen! I missed you too! What've you been up too at the guild?"
"Oh, nothing really. Just Jobs and stuff. Tell me, what do you want to be when you're older?"
"I want to be a princess, just like you!"
Karen chuckled, "Then I have the perfect gift for you, here." she handed over a what looked like a key, it was silver and had crowns imprinted on it. Chrys took it confused.
"It's the gate of the chained princess, Andromeda. You can keep it for when you're older and join the guild!"
"What? Are you sure? It's a long time before Chrys is allowed to join a guild. Do you not need it?" Her mum walked through, drying a fork.
"It'll be fine!"
And that was the last visit from her sister.
"Ahh!" The celestial mage woke up in sweats and tears. This wasn't the first time she'd had that dream. The sun was rising, indroducing the start of a new day.